the best bubbly

July 15th, 2015. 16 weeks. 

I think I'm trickling into the zone of dressing in "maternity style" now. I haven't gained a single pound yet, but my body has been shifting and changing and it's weird. It's rather miraculous and the strangest of things, to see my stomach rounding out and to feel the different muscles and to look at myself changing daily in the mirror. I only have one pair of pants that still fits me (darn you skinny jeans), and since I'm still in that is she pregnant or did she just eat at Chipotle? phase, I've been reaching exclusively for my flowiest of blouses and elastic-waist skirts and shorts, both for comfort and for a little bit of camouflage. Not that I want to hide that I'm pregnant, but there is a tiny bit of vanity involved I think. I either want to try and suck it in, or push it out as much as I can. The in-between can be a little bit tricky.

No matter what, I am overjoyed to be experiencing every single bit of it, including these awkward phases. I swear I've been feeling little baby flutters the past few days. Sometimes when I'm sitting really still, or when I first wake up in the morning, I feel these gentle butterfly wings in there. Every once in a while it'll be a kitten paw pushing, or it'll feel like I've just swallowed the best bubbly. It's impossible to tell whether these flutters are real or just a daydream (or gas), but even if they're in my mind, praise the Lord, they're my favorite make believes.

summer mint recipes

Have you ever had something define your summer?
Maybe a certain scent, or a particular playlist, or even a group of people.
I love summers because every single one is totally unique. Sure, you could say that about every season, but there's something about summer that is different. I think probably because summer is the season of play.

Maybe it's because I'm from Arizona, but summer is the most creative, most inspirational, most exuberant season of all. The heat is so intense you have to be innovative to enjoy your days; it forces you to dress differently, plan your days differently, break out new ideas. Some of those ideas include travel and road trips to better weather, which means a lot of beach and mountains and road trip music. Pool parties, sunflowers, iced drinks, bubbles, bikinis, bright colors, new sunnies, outdoor misters, porch lights, movie nights.
Summer also brings with it a host of new recipes and for me, this summer has been all about mint. 

My favorite mint recipes this summer have been the mint watermelon appetizer with goat cheese, the grilled zucchini and walnut salad with mint from M loves M, and of course a few yummy drinks from Starbucks, like the low-calorie cool lime refresher (ask to get it fizzed! yum!) and the blackberry mojito iced tea lemonade. 

You can also get really creative with infused water! I love cucumber/lime/fresh mint water. If you wanna kick your water up a notch, fill up your glass with ice and infused water and add an herbal tea bag to the mix. I added a raspberry tea to my cucumber/lime/mint water this morning, so refreshing!

I'd highly recommend trying out a watermelon and mint combo. I'm going to share with you a really simple and delicious recipe that my dad created after having something similar at an upscale restaurant in Phoenix.

Mint Watermelon Appetizer with Goat Cheese Ingredients: ·         Watermelon, cut into bite-sized cubes ·         Goat Cheese ·         Citrus Ponzu Sauce ·         Fresh Mint ·         Toothpicks for serving! Directions: Easy peasy! Grab a bowl and toss the watermelon, goat cheese crumbles, and fresh mint (lightly shredded/torn) together. Then lightly spritz the concoction with ponzu sauce, and hand out the toothpicks! You could also serve them a bit fancier on a platter, separated into individual portions. Watermelon cube topped with the goat cheese and a leaf of mint, finished off with a dash with ponzu sauce.  Get fancy with it!

I'd love to hear more tried and true mint recipes. If you have any, send them my way!

Also let me know if you try any of these minty delights. They all have my stamp of approval.

Hope you're having a uniquely wonderful summer. It's quickly coming to an end!

summer's end

I was recently feeling disappointed in the end of summer, lamenting that August has arrived when I feel like we haven't crossed nearly enough "summer" things off of our to-do list.
It's been an odd sort of summer, cool weather and days spent cooped up in the office or huddled under an umbrella. Very odd indeed.

That being said, I was completely rejuvenated by a post I read this week by Christin Willis over at We Heart Photography.
She posts these adorable "little love stories" that I always love to read.
It was called "The Bucket List" - it immediately caught my attention because Dusty and I have an in-progress Bucket List for our last year in Lynchburg!

Christin and her hubby Jacob had a similar experience - they decided to sit down and write a summer bucket list. But by the time August came around, Christin was lamenting over the lack of strikes through their fun summer activities.
She then had a miraculous discovery: the end of summer (aka the official "first day of Fall") isn't until September 22nd. 

That means we still have a glorious month and a half of summer love in the air, and while school may be starting and everything on our summer-to-do list may not be perfect, and some things may not even happen at all...the spirit of the bucket list is much more than that.

The point is, there’s a reason you make a bucket list. The bucket list reminds you of that romanticized dream of summer (or life). It takes you back to the moment when you imagined yourself frolicking, dancing, enjoying your life. Not all of the things on the list will turn out the way you thought. It might be freezing on the scooter ride day and the bed and breakfast might be more of a bugs and breakfast; but, on the night of live music and dancing, your husband might look at you, and see the young, free-spirited girl he fell in love with, and he might just smile and think, “I am the luckiest.”

- Christin Willis, We Heart Photography

I couldn't have put it any better myself!

I'm off to plan that sunset hike, and try and see when we can spend a day floating lazily down the James river...